Passport to Suez

Not a whodunit, but a programmer about foreign intrigue. That's not surprising since the year is 1943, and WWII's outcome still hangs in the balance. So, can the Lone Wolf (William) thwart Nazi plans to close the vital Suez Canal, the lifeline to Allied war efforts in North Africa. To find the spies, he's got a lot of characters to sort through, including a stylish Ann Savage, who's already showing why Detour's (1945) Tom Neal is fatefully attracted. And catch the weird technology the Nazis are using to communicate, like threads in a handkerchief. All in all, it's an entertaining hour with the aristocratic William in fine form, along with Blore as comic relief. I just wish William were better remembered today. He could command the screen like few others. In fact, his pre-Code films, (Employees Entrance {1933}, et. al), remain recognized classics. Probably, the actor died too soon after the war (1948) to establish himself in later films. Too bad. Anyway, the movie's a solid and sometimes stylish programmer without being anything special.

In his ninth and last appearance as retired jewel thief Michael Lanyard-aka The Lone Wolf-the peerless Warren William again finds himself overseas helping to battle the Third Reich. This time, he and loyal valet Jamison (the priceless Eric Blore) arrive in Egypt, where Lanyard is promptly blackmailed into stealing vital documents that the Nazis need.

A decent Lone Wolf entry finds our hero sent in a wild goose chase by nazi spies, and gets involved with a femme fatale, thread in coded message, informers, and devious villains and that in an exotic locale. It's familiar and standard, yet really fun, thanks to the smooth plot, Eric Blore and the debonair Warren William who makes smooth and dashing a work of art.

The other user comment misses the point of this film entirely; Passport to Suez is not supposed to be a serious historical examination of what might have happened had the Nazis gained control of the Suez Canal, but a spy/mystery/adventure with some comedy laced in.

Warren William's final turn as Michael Lanyard is a real winner, thanks to a complex and witty script and the direction of the great Andre De Toth. The Lone Wolf films are always entertaining (with the exception of The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt, which was nearly ruined by Ida Lupino) but Passport to Suez has a classier feel than any of its predecessors. The camera-work in the film is moody and atmospheric, William's first meeting with Mr. X is very memorable, and one murder scene that takes place on an Alexandrian street is positively stunning, something Hitchcock needn't have been ashamed of. The mystery is intricate and well-meshed, and the script features a memorable array of colorful characters--Gavin Muir's friendly and urbane Nazi operative, Sheldon Leonard's slick nightclub owner, Anne Savage's femme fatale, Sig Arno's eccentric stool pigeon, Frederic Worlock's uptight British intelligence officer, Jay Novello's sleazy spy, and especially Lou Merrill's phlegmatic but deadly double-agent.

William himself handles the atypical seriousness of the plot perfectly and reins in his usual enjoyable hamminess, while Eric Blore provides impeccable comedy relief(his reaction to the mysterious phone caller at the beginning of the picture is hilarious--I feel that way with certain telemarketers).

The propaganda in the film is mercifully minuscule; it has none of the protracted speeches that popped up in the earlier Lone Wolf film Counter-Espionage. Aside from Warren's remark to Muir about the "New European Order having no room for sentiment," propaganda is bypassed for sheer entertainment.

A worthy finale to William's illustrious stint as the Lone Wolf.

Warren William as Michael Lanyard, the Lone Wolf, tries to keep the Nazis from getting control of the Suez Canal in "Passport to Suez," a 1943 film, and William's last as the Lone Wolf.

As with many of this type of film, the mission is a mcguffin in this well-directed mystery that is filled with humor and atmosphere. The cast is particularly good - besides William and Eric Blore as his butler, Anne Savage is the femme fatale, Sheldon Leonard a nightclub owner, and the cast is rounded out by Jay Novello as a spy, Frederic Norlock as an intelligence officer, Sig Arno, and Lou Merrill.

Most of the humor comes from Blore, and he starts the film off with some great comedy over a phone call. William takes his assignment seriously; this is a slightly more sober Wolf. A fitting ending to a great run.

With a long bow to Casablanca Warren William as Michael Lanyard The Lone Wolf gets an espionage assignment of which we're never quite sure because the Nazis capture him and valet Eric Blore.

William has joined the war effort and the bad guys try to decoy him and the British authorities away from their actual purpose which is to bomb and disable the Suez Canal, lifeline of the British Empire. They've recruited no one less than Blore's daughter-in-law to be Ann Savage as one cool spy. Is there no end to their scheming?

The film is set in Alexandria and it tries to be a cut rate Casablanca with Sheldon Leonard as nightclub owner Johnny who runs a café like Rick's where intrigue is an appetizer on the menu. Leonard usually a villain, is William's stalwart friend as the spies come real close to making a fool out of him.

This was the last of Warren William's films starring him as the Lone Wolf. But the best was definitely not saved for last.